Abstract

In recent years sustainable design has played an increasingly important role in university design education and within this EcoDesign tools have the potential to greatly improve the sustainability of work completed by design students. Currently however there is little guidance concerning which EcoDesign tools are most appropriate for use by undergraduate design students. This study seeks to establish which EcoDesign tools are most appropriate for use by industrial design students. This is achieved through a greater understanding of: the criteria which define whether an EcoDesign tool is effective for use by industrial design students, the views of students, and the most effective education methods for EcoDesign; ultimately gaining a comprehension of how EcoDesign tools can be more widely used by industrial design students. This was achieved through a combination of reviewing and collating existing knowledge and views, while seeking the opinions of current design students. The study found that the most significant barriers to widespread usage of EcoDesign tools are time constraints, the presentation style of tools, and a lack of knowledge in both tool selection and usage. It was found that the most effective and popular method of teaching sustainable design was through the use of practical examples; this was largely linked to the hands on nature of industrial design culture. The EcoDesign tools found to be the most suitable for use by design students were EcoDesign Web, Design Abacus and Information/Inspiration; mainly due to the relatively quick, simple and customisable nature of the tools. The increased use of EcoDesign tools by design students has the potential to greatly improve the sustainability of design, allowing students to gain experience and knowledge that can be carried with them in to industry. This study recommends further research in to a system or guide that aids design students in both the selection and use of EcoDesign tools.

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